After the iPhone 6 “bend-gate” fiasco in 2014, which claimed the handset could be easily deformed, Apple switched to 7000-series aluminum first applied in the original Apple Watch.

While Apple is rumored to return to steel with the “iPhone 8” chassis, the fabrication process will be notably different from that of iPhone 4 and 4s. In particular, the company is said to be using a metal forging method instead of common billet milling.

Japanese blog Mac Otakara has also hinted about the same move. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had first revealed Apple’s plans for a glass-backed iPhone last April, since expanding the prediction to include exotic technologies like an OLED display, wireless charging, an invisible home button and more.

Earlier, Otakara had hinted towards the launch of a third variant of the iPhone 7 family in red - 7S. Mac Otakara has a strong track record when it comes to iPhone predictions. The Japanese blog was first to report on iPhone 7’s 3.5mm headphone jack deletion, as well as this year’s Jet Black colour option.